A Look at the Human Impact of Parklets
and the People Who Make Them
In 2010, tiny 10 x 20 foot green spaces started popping up in San Francisco neighborhoods. These mini-parks, otherwise known as parklets, replace parking spots with a seating area that is open to the public. Every parklet has an original design: some are simple while others are artistic, but all are ADA compliant.
Parklets are a unique kind of public space, not only because of their size but also because they are developed by people who come from the community itself. Each parklet is sponsored by a member of the public who funds, designs, builds, and maintains the parklet and works with their neighbors and the City to bring it to life. Adding public open space to any city has measurable positive impacts on residents' quality of life, health, and interconnectedness.
San Francisco takes an evidence-based approach to understanding the unique benefits that parklets can offer. This includes City databases, publicly available data, Public Life Studies, and accompanying Public Life Data. This website draws data sets together with interviews with parklet users, sponsors, passers-by, businesses on the block, and City staff to look at the human impact of parklets and the people who make them happen.
(Learn about our approach)
Parklets tend to be located on commercial and residential blocks, making them a part of daily routines like waiting for the bus, grabbing a morning coffee, or picking up the kids from school. Residents rarely go out of their way to visit a parklet. They are a neighborhood amenity, but not a destination.
People living in neighborhoods with a parklet get to experience the hyper-local benefits they bring. We define close proximity as being in a census tract that is within ⅛ of a mile of a parklet.
For more information about each parklet, click on the map.
For more information about each parklet, click on the map.
For more information about each census tract or parklet, click on the map.
Josh, monthly parklet user
For more information about each census tract or parklet, click on the map.
Gwenn, weekly parklet user
For more information about each census tract or parklet, click on the map.
Dariush, monthly parklet user
For more information about each census tract or parklet, click on the map.
Marsh, bi-weekly parklet user
For more information about each census tract or parklet, click on the map.
Suzanne, weekly parklet user
For more information on the parklets and locations, click on the map.
Patrick, monthly parklet user (not pictured)
Parklets are both a capital investment and a contribution to civic life. Sponsors decide to take on the responsibility, not just for the benefit of their own business but also for the neighborhood as a whole. The economic boost that parklets can bring is shared by businesses up and down the block.
Parklets often correspond with other public realm improvements that support the overall health and vitality of a neighborhood. Areas with growing commercial districts are often also investing in public spaces and amenities that improve resident’s quality of life. In economic downturns, these areas can be more resilient.
Learn more about our approach here.
Click each business to learn more.
The parklet sponsored by the Rolling Out Cafe on Taraval Street was built as a collaboration with the local merchants association, the People of Parkside Sunset. The parklet supports the district’s long-term goal of revitalizing the Taraval business corridor.
Click each business to learn more.
Locals use words like ‘sleepy’ and ‘close-knit’ to describe the Parkside neighborhood. The parklet has helped to perk up the block, the effects of which are felt by businesses and residents alike.
More eye catching
Increases foot traffic
Customers can linger
Creates an overflow space
New option for staff breaks
While public space projects are usually carried out by City staff, parklets are developed by neighborhood locals. Sponsors live and/or provide services in the neighborhood where the parklet is built. Parklets can bring people together and create a sense of shared ownership over public spaces—in other words, they have the potential to reflect and belong to communities in ways that other parks cannot.
Click each feature to learn more.
This parklet was a collaboration between the Exploratorium Museum and Buena Vista Horace Mann Middle School. It was co-designed by neighborhood youth, community advisors, and science experts. The goal of the parklet is to provide an informal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education resource for the Spanish speaking communities of the Mission District.
Click each feature to learn more.
The Exploratorium put in extra time, effort, and resources to connect with locals, developing a deep understanding of their needs, and getting them involved with the development process. This collaborative approach was a multi-step process, bringing in community stakeholders for each step. The results are tangible in the design and evident in the sense of ownership and pride which the neighbors express.
Community partners written into the grant
Co-designed
with youth
Edited by native Spanish speakers
Approved by community groups
Piloted with local residents
Sponsors are a diverse group of makers, entrepreneurs, educators, and green thumbs, and they are volunteering to take on a civic responsibility usually reserved for city employees. Learn about their experiences, in their own words.
Click on the photos below to learn more about the sponsors, their best practices, and challenges.
The San Francisco Pavement to Parks Program created the city’s first parklets in 2009. One of the key inspirations for parklets was the international holiday, Park(ing) Day, which started in 2005 with a guerilla installation by Rebar Studio. For one afternoon, they bought time on a parking meter downtown and installed a small patch of grass with a bench for public use. Parklets, which can be in place for years instead of hours, are now built all around the world.
“Parklets are great because they give the public a role in shaping the public realm.”
María, SF Parklets Team
Parklets take 13 months to build on average and last for anywhere from 20 to 97 months.
All the parklets together have turned 109 parking spaces green, adding 19,620 square feet of open space to the city.
Parklet Name Revolution Cafe
Address 3230 22nd St
Year Installed 2010
Year Removed 2013
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Just For Fun
Address 3982 24TH ST
Year Installed 2010
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Crepe House and Zaytoon Wraps
Address 1136 Valencia St
Year Installed 2010
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Just for You Cafe, Inc.
Address 732 22ND ST
Year Installed 2010
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 7
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Tsunami Panhandle
Address 1300 FULTON ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 240
Parklet Name THE CREPE HOUSE
Address 1755 POLK ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Smitten Ice Cream
Address 904 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 1
Square feet 120
Parklet Name SQUAT & GOBBLE CAFÉ - 3600 16th St
Address 3600 16TH ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 1
Square feet 240
Parklet Name FARLEY'S
Address 1315 18TH ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 2
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Mercury Cafe
Address 201 OCTAVIA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Quetzal Cafe
Address 1230 Polk St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed 2013
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Cafe Seventy 8
Address 70 29th St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 2
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Four Barrel Coffee LLC
Address 375 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 4
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Amandeep Jawa
Address 937 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 3
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Martha Brothers
Address 3868 24TH ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 7
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Tonys Pizza Napoletana
Address 1570 STOCKTON ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 4
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Union Square BID
Address 197 O'Farrell St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Trouble Coffee
Address 4033 JUDAH ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 7
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Luna Rienne Gallery
Address 3318 22ND ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 5
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Arlequin Cafe
Address 384 HAYES ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 1
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Arizmendi Bakery - 9th St
Address 1331 9th Ave
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed 2018
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 240
Parklet Name CAFE' GRECO
Address 423 COLUMBUS AVE
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 12
Square feet 480
Parklet Name Devil's Teeth Baking Company
Address 3876 NORIEGA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Cafe Roma
Address 526 Columbus Ave
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 7
Square feet 240
Parklet Name O'Connell High School
Address 2389 Folsom St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Martin Mack's
Address 1568 Haight St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed 2013
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Ritual Coffee Roasters
Address 1026 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 5
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Dante's Table
Address 544 Castro St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed 2014
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Fool's Errand
Address 639 Divisadero St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 23
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Nile Cafe
Address 544 Jones St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed 2013
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name The Mama Cafe
Address 4754 Mission St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed 2017
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Farm: Table
Address 754 POST ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 16
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Pizzeria Delfina
Address 2410 CALIFORNIA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 13
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Jebena Cafe
Address 990 Polk St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed 2013
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Outerlands Cafe
Address 4001 JUDAH ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 5
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Karachi Classics
Address 533 Jones St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 3
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Darwin Cafe
Address 212 RITCH ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 240
Parklet Name The Dancing Pig
Address 544 Castro St
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Senor Sisig
Address 988 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2011
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 8
Square feet 240
Parklet Name SIMPLE PLEASURES CAFÉ
Address 3434 BALBOA ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 14
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Cafe Okawari
Address 236 TOWNSEND ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Rapha Racing, LLC
Address 2198 FILBERT ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name EHS Pilates
Address 1452 Valencia St
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed 2013
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name DFPF Corporation dba Fine Line Construction
Address 1122 FOLSOM ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 13
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Nute's
Address 903 CORTLAND AVE
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 4
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Foglifter Cafe
Address 1901 Ocean Avenue
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed 2017
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Other Avenues Food Store
Address 3930 JUDAH ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 12
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Butter
Address 354 11TH ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 9
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Cumaica Coffee Co.
Address 200 CLEMENT ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 11
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Magnolia
Address 1398 Haight St
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active No
Time to build 17
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Greaser Coffee
Address 1730 Yosemite Ave
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 1
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Dandelion Chocolate
Address 740 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 8
Square feet 120
Parklet Name HAIGHT STREET MARKET
Address 1530 HAIGHT ST
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 19
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Reveille Coffee Company
Address 200 COLUMBUS AVE
Year Installed 2012
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 29
Square feet 240
Parklet Name The Mill
Address 736 DIVISADERO ST
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 14
Square feet 120
Parklet Name North of Market CBD
Address 295 Eddy St
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name DNA Pizza
Address 371 11th St
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed 2018
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 240
Parklet Name VinoRosso
Address 629 Cortland Ave
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 17
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Cheese Plus
Address 2001 POLK ST
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 18
Square feet 120
Parklet Name b Patisserie
Address 2821 CALIFORNIA ST
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 23
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Exploratorium
Address 1241 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 14
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Swissnex
Address 730 Montgomery St
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed 2015
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
Parklet Name CINDERELLA BAKERY INC.
Address 436 BALBOA ST
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 19
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Jumpstart Coffee
Address 1192 GUERRERO ST
Year Installed 2013
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 15
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Bruce Tomb
Address 1240 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2014
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 27
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Rolling Out, Inc.
Address 1722 TARAVAL ST
Year Installed 2014
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 33
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Ken Ken Ramen
Address 3378 18th St
Year Installed 2014
Year Removed 2019
Active No
Time to build N/A
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Museum of Craft and Design
Address 2569 Third St
Year Installed 2014
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 32
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Little Skillet
Address 360 RITCH ST
Year Installed 2014
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 24
Square feet 120
Parklet Name ARIZMENDI BAKERY
Address 1268 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2015
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 23
Square feet 240
Parklet Name Native Twins Coffee
Address 262 DIVISADERO ST
Year Installed 2015
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 21
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Samovar Tea Bar
Address 411 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2015
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 19
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Venga Empanadas
Address 443 VALENCIA ST
Year Installed 2015
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 23
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Be Safehouse
Address 160 14th St
Year Installed 2015
Year Removed 2020
Active No
Time to build 22
Square feet 120
Parklet Name Souvla
Address 517 HAYES ST
Year Installed 2015
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build 38
Square feet 360
Parklet Name Meraki Market
Address 927 POST ST
Year Installed 2019
Year Removed N/A
Active Yes
Time to build N/A
Square feet 120
The San Francisco Parklet Program is always a work in progress, learning along with parklet sponsors from successes and challenges. So while the Program’s basic structure and permitting authority is codified as part of the government structure, it is flexible and nimble enough to adapt to new needs and challenges on an ongoing basis. City staff is always looking for ways to support parklet sponsors’ most creative design ideas while paving the way for greater efficiency.
Preserving the resident-led tactical urbanism origin of the Parklet Program
John, SF Parklet Program
María, SF Parklet Program
John, SF Parklet Program
Robin, SF Placemaking Policy Lead
John, SF Parklet Program
María, SF Parklet Program
John, SF Parklet Program
Robin, SF Placemaking Policy Lead
Uplift from the city government ensures the parklets are safe, accessible and inclusive.
Preserving the resident-led tactical urbanism origin of the Parklet Program.
Uplift from the city government ensures the parklets are safe, accessible and inclusive.
John, SF Parklet Program
María, SF Parklet Program
John, SF Parklet Program
Robin, SF Placemaking Policy Lead
John, SF Parklet Program
María, SF Parklet Program
John, SF Parklet Program
Robin, SF Placemaking Policy Lead
Beyond just providing more open public space for San Francisco, the Parklet Program has developed into a global phenomenon inspiring cities around the world to give residents the power to transform underutilized places into open public spaces—a radically bottom-up approach to urban planning and civic engagement. As the concept goes global, City staff is working to ensure people in all neighborhoods across San Francisco have access to the open public space that parklets can provide.
For more information about each parklet, click anywhere on the map.
For more information about each parklet, click anywhere on the map.
For more information about each parklet, click anywhere on the map.
María, SF Parklet Program
For more information about each neighborhood, click anywhere on the map.
The City is actively working to make sure the Parklet Program serves all neighborhoods and sponsors equally; from cafes to community centers and from Bayview to Sea Cliff.
Submit a proposal to bring a parklet to your neighborhood!
For more information, visit www.parklets.org or feel free to email us at info@parklets.org
